Four things we can learn from the NBA Finals between San Antonio and Miami

The Spurs beat the Heat 104-87 in Game 5 to win the Finals rematch a year after coming up short.

After the San Antonio Spurs crushed the Miami Heat for the third consecutive game to capture their fifth NBA title, some things are obvious. The Spurs are the best team in basketball. Gregg Popovich is the greatest coach in the game. Outstanding team basketball always beats one incredible player.

However, what are some of the other talking points that will arise from these Finals, where the Spurs got their long-awaited revenge for their 2013 heartbreak against the Heat?

Kawhi Leonard will be an NBA superstar

Kawhi Leonard does not enjoy the spotlight. He is uncomfortable in interviews, gives short answers and rarely smiles. He does not look like a superstar off the court, but in this series he played like one on it. After a disappointing opening two games where he struggled with foul trouble, Leonard was the catayst for the Spurs' dominant run, scoring at will and playing stifling defense on LeBron James.

Leonard went from an athletic forward who couldn't shoot to perhaps the best scorer on the Spurs' roster, and he fully deserved to be Finals MVP. The scary thing is, he's only 22 - the same age Tim Duncan was when he won his first title - and is still developing. To put that into context, Blake Griffin is 25, as is Kevin Love, and Paul George is 24. Leonard can easily be as good as, if not better than all of them, and he is the future of basketball in San Antonio.

LeBron James may have to leave Miami

After four consecutive Finals appearances, the Miami Heat looked utterly broken down in the last three games of the series. LeBron James tried to lift his team, but with Dwyane Wade ailing, Chris Bosh invisible and the role players ineffective, the Heat had no chance of overcoming the Spurs.

The way the roster is currently constructed it is tough to see Miami competing for titles years down the line. They don't look like the 'Big Three' any more. In fact, the situation resembles LeBron's last year in Cleveland - a superstar trying to win the title on his own. Whether the answer is a new point guard, fresher legs or Carmelo Anthony, if this roster does not improve James may have to jump ship again.

The Dallas Mavericks are better than we thought

After such a dominant run through the playoffs, it is easy to forget that the Spurs faced elimination in Round 1. They were taken to seven games by the Mavericks, who turned out to be the only team that really tested San Antonio over a full series.

The Mavs are in a position to improve heading into the offseason, and they could be considered among the contenders in the Western Conference in 2015. Dirk Nowitzki is a free agent but will almost certainly return, and the return to form of Monta Ellis is encouraging. With plenty of cap space, Dallas could make a run at a player such as Greg Monroe, Kyle Lowry or Pau Gasol to take them up a level next year.

Role players are hugely valuable in the right system

The NBA Finals will be remembered for a complete team performance by San Antonio, similar to the Detroit Pistons' triumph over the Los Angeles Lakers in 2004. This Spurs team is not just a collection of stars, but also a number of role players who fit Gregg Popovich's offensive gameplan perfectly.

Danny Green has always been a thorn in the Heat's side, and in combination with Kawhi Leonard the Spurs had two swingmen to guard James and Wade successfully. Boris Diaw's excellent passing game aided the whirling ball movement that Popovich's system requires, and he also played excellent defense on Chris Bosh.

And in Game 5, Patty Mills turned up for the Spurs. The Australian swished five three-pointers on the way to 17 invaluable points, and San Antonio's bench outscored Miami's 47-24. As great as Duncan, Ginobili, Leonard and Parker were for the Spurs, their biggest advantage came in the form of these role players.

Jack Green

I'm Jack, an English Literature graduate from London, trained in journalism at the Press Association. I'm passionate about European football, particularly the Premier League and La Liga. I also love watching and writing about basketball, American football and boxing.